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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCanoe River Comm Minutes 12/01/2005Canoe River Aquifer Advisoryl ommittee Meeting Minutes I, December 1, 2005 r� Minutes of the meeting held by the Canoe River Aquifer Advisory Committee on Thursday December 1, 2005 at 1:00 p.m. at the Foxborough Town Hall, 40 South Street, Foxborough, MA 02035. Members Present: Wayne P. Southworth, Easton; Janet Simolari, Easton; Leo Potter, Foxborough; Robert Boette, Foxborough; Leonard Flynn, Mansfield; Suzanne Erikson, Norton; Dave Masciarelll, Sharon Others Present: Jenn Canino, Norton Conservation Agent; Senator Jim Timiity, State House; Tom Hunt, Foxborough Call to Order —The meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m. by Wayne Southworth. II. Review Minutes of November 3, 2005 Suzanne Erikson noted that the date in Section III. should be "2005 ". Leonard Flynn motioned to accept the minutes of November 3, 2005 as amended. Leo Potter seconded the motion, The motion passed unanimously. Wayne Southworth asked each member to be certain that their telephone number and e-mail address were up -to -date on the member listing. Ill. Recap Water Conservation Forum Held on November 15, 2005 — Dave Masciarelli The Forum on Water Conservation was held on November 15, 2005 at the Sharon Cable 8 Studio at 10:00 AM. Dave Masciarelli said that Leo Potter, Eric Hooper of Sharon and Jack Marsh from Easton participated in the forum, along with Duane Lavangie of DEP. It is expected to play on Sharon's cable television next Wednesday. D. Masclarelll will get a chance to review it at that time, but it looked good at the time of filming. W. Southworth would like to get a copy of the tape to Janet Simolari so that she can create a press release for distribution to the local newspapers. The general theme of the forum was that water conservation is more important than ever before. D. Masciarelli said that they did learn that the winter to summer ratio initially discussed might be lessened. Member towns should inquire of their cable stations as to the preferred format in which they would like to receive the Forum (i.e. tape or DVD). D. Masciarelli said that Sharon can provide copies, and L. Flynn said that they would get a person from Mansfield to make copies for them. The press release can then state that copies of the tape are available at the local library and can recommend that the reader check their local cable station schedule for show times. L. Flynn said that it might be a good idea to screen the show to a "non- water - savvy' person to be certain that the conversation was not too technical. D. Masciarelli felt that the moderator ran the forum so that the information would be clear to everyone. 1. Flynn suggested offering the tape to the schools for their environmental education programs. W. Southworth thanked everyone involved for their hard work on the forum. IV. Open Space Map & Greenbelt Update L, Flynn said that the database, letterhead and letters are completed and need to be merged. He will get help from someone in Mansfield with this expertise, and will send an initial mailing out to the direct abutters, encompassing about 100 people. He will assess the response to this first mailing before mailing out to the other people in the database. Jenn Carlino said that a Wildlife Habitat Evaluation has taken place every Saturday in October, and included three canoe trips in the Canoe River. Also, designated areas were singled out for counts of a particular species, such as mussels or dragonflies. Several people have been Involved in this effort. L. Flynn said that if all of the towns could make a similar effort, this would be extremely beneficial when seeking grants. J. Carlino noted that the Conservation Restriction for Red Mill Village has been recorded, and includes 18 acres along the river. Two more of these restrictions are in the works in Norton. J. Carlino will check with the Norton Town Manager on the status with DCAM of the draft deeds that were forwarded for review. She submitted comments to DCAM requesting that Article 97 be included as part of the deed. W. Southworth requested that a draft letter to DCAM be prepared so that it can be reviewed and finalized at the next CRAAC meeting. V. Annual Awareness Day — Tentative Date and Location: June 3, 2006 at the Mansfield Water Treatment Plant The Annual Awareness Day will take place later in the spring with the hope that it will be a warmer, drier day. All are in agreement that the Mansfield Water Treatment Plant will be an ideal location, and will be a great opportunity to highlight this building. Neither W. Southworth nor L. Flynn have had a chance to speak with Kurt Gaffney about this yet, but they do not anticipate any problems, as Kurt is proud to show the facility. Janet Simolari will do fliers and publicity for the event as the time draws closer. VI. New Business Tom Hunt wanted to bring a plan to the attention of the CRAAC. He noted that an original plan for 16 lots near the Canoe River, with a 10' driveway right next to the Canoe River, has been withdrawn. After the October rains the driveway area in question was under 3' to 6' of water. There is now a tentative plan that has been brought before the Planning Board that shows a road even closer to the river than the last proposal. Three lots on the new proposal are fairly close to the river. B. Boette said that the Conservation Commission will consider this matter at the time the plan is actually filed. W. Southworth said that the CRAAC Annual Report will be coming out soon and this will include the meeting schedule for 2006. The member list will also be Included, so contact information should be up -to -date. W. Southworth attended a meeting at Bridgewater State College entitled "Beyond Sewering" that touched on several relevant topics, Including water conservation, alternative technology and self- sufflciency. Emphasis was placed on keeping water within a community. Tom Hunt said that he has been in contact with the Taunton River Watershed Alliance regarding action focus groups. He said that the TRWA appears to be willing to reach out and help other / groups. W. Southworth noted that at the time that the TRWA originally formed, their concern was l diversion of the Taunton River. L. Flynn added that their advocacy was limited to the Taunton River southwards. It appears now that they may be able to branch out more, due to better funding. L. Flynn said that he will attend an EOEA retreat that will touch on conservation issues These retreats have been beneficial by fostering more effective means of communication with the State. Members of the CRAAC thanked Senator Jim Timilty for attending the meeting, and noted that this committee has had a long history of working well with all local legislators. Senator Timilty reminded the committee that he is available to help if the need arises. W. Southworth pointed out that committee members, who collectively have a lot of expertise in a variety of water and conservation - related areas, are also willing to help out should he need information. Senator Timilty stated that he would look into the deed that J. Carlino spoke of earlier in the meeting. L. Flynn noted that the CRAAC is actively working on land acquisition along the Canoe River, and usually works in conjunction with town conservation commissions and local land trusts. Acquisition of this land is an achievable goal, but time, money and development are working against the committee. Reaching this goal is possible, if the land is acquired within the next few years. The next meeting of the CRAAC will take place on January 5, 2006 at 1:00 p.m. in the Norton Library. VII. Meeting Adjourned — L. Potter motioned and R. Boette seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting. The Committee voted unanimously to adjourn Its meeting. The meeting adjourned at 1:45 p.m.